Top foreign policy figures under President Donald Trump are reportedly nearing a breakthrough in negotiations to resolve the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

On Sunday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, joined by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law, convened in Florida with Ukrainian officials from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government. Their focus was to refine a comprehensive 28-point peace proposal aimed at concluding the war.

Prior to the day’s talks, Rubio addressed the media, expressing his goal to forge a deal that would ensure Ukraine is free from future conflicts.

“This is not just about ending a war,” Rubio stated as he opened the meeting. “It’s about crafting a resolution that ensures Ukraine’s independence and sovereignty, preventing any future wars.”

Ukraine’s First Deputy Foreign Minister, Sergiy Kyslytsya, took to social media platform X to describe the initial discussions as a “good start,” noting that the dialogue was “very engaging and constructive.”

Kyslytsya further commented on the positive atmosphere, indicating it was “conducive to a potentially progressive outcome.”

The 28-point peace plan presented by the Trump administration was criticized as being too pro-Russia earlier this week, a criticism also echoed by members of Trump’s own political party.

Congressman Mike Turner, an Ohio Republican and member of the House armed services committee, told CBS News that ‘you can’t be America first and pro-Russia, because Russia is a self-declared adversary of the United States.’

White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Jared Kushner listen as Rustem Umerov (R) speaks while leading Ukrainian delegation during a meeting in Hallandale Beach, Florida on November 30, 2025

Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine and head of the Ukrainian delegation Rustem Umerov speaks during a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the US delegation in Hallandale Beach, Florida on November 30, 2025

Firefighters work to extinguish the blaze after a Russian strike hit the central market in Kramatorsk, Donetsk region

 Turner also added that Russia is ‘fielding new, advanced nuclear weapons that are specifically targeting the United States,’ as well as constantly launching cyber attacks at the United States.

Commenting on Rubio’s negotiations, he also added that ‘this peace arrangement has to be one where you have to look at Russia as a skeptical adversary.’

A leaked call, first reported by Bloomberg, revealed how Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, maneuvered to expedite Putin’s access to Trump before a critical White House meeting with Zelensky.

The transcript shows Witkoff racing to connect Putin with Trump ahead of the October 19 Oval Office talks. 

Witkoff also coached Ushakov on how Putin should approach Trump – suggesting the Russian leader praise him for the Gaza peace deal, which he later did.

People survey the destruction after a Russian strike on a nine-storey residential building in the city of Vyshhorod in the Kyiv region, Ukraine, 30 November

Two days before meeting Zelensky, Trump spoke with Putin. On that call, Putin warned that sending Tomahawks would harm US–Russia relations. Trump reversed course on the missiles.

Bloomberg reported that the talks helped shape an initial 28–point peace proposal heavily favoring Russian interests, later reduced to 19 points.

Trump wrote in a post on his social media site Truth Social last week that he looked ‘forward to hopefully meeting with President Zelenskyy and President Putin soon, but ONLY when the deal to end this War is FINAL or, in its final stages.’